I too have a well question

r0GuE · Jul 27, 2001

I just got a house that has public water but ALSO has an old well that all the outside water faucets are hooked to. The problem is that I know nothing of wells and no water comes out of the faucets so I don't know what to do or who to call. The well is in a small well house with a basement style door to it. It has a big metal pump looking thingy and an electrical box and a big water tank type stuff.
Help... what is all this stuff and who would I call? plumber? watersoftener people?

Rogue

Anonymous Poster · Jul 27, 2001

Rogue, try this link(you need adobe reader),....http://www.goulds.com/pdf/IM102R00.pdf

If that doesn't work just try www.goulds.com

It may help figuring out what the "thingamajigs" are actually called./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif And then we'll know what kind of well you have.
If you have a shallow well, the previous owners may have drained the pump to prevent freezing. you might luck out and just have to prime the pump.

StoneHeartFarm · Jul 27, 2001

Rogue,

Try a well driller. The are licensed to handle pumps and tanks. Probably can't fix your plumbing or faucets, but they can handle pumps. Have you tried turning the pump on to see if it runs? Should be a breaker or a fused switch somewhere. If it's a standard shallow well pump, you should see a motor on the rear (round cylinder) and a cast housing on the front. Somewhere on top of the housing is a removable plug that you take out to prime the pump.

Hope this helps.

SHF

jinman · Jul 28, 2001

I echo what SHF said about calling a well driller. No matter if it's shallow well or deep well, you will probably want to have it checked out by a professional. Also, can you post a picture? I bet you might be surprised at the help you would get if the folks on this forum could see what all the "thingy whatchmacallits" look like. Good luck!

JimI

JohnS · Jul 30, 2001

Most plumbers should be able to handle this, with no problem. Just make sure when you call them that they send someone that has that experience. Well drillers might be busy this time of year, especially if there are draught conditions in your area. Also, I would think that the plumber labor rate would be somewhat less than a drillers. Haven't needed a driller in many, many, years, but they were more expensive then.

A couple of years ago, I woke-up to a winter morning without any water. My deep well pump seized. Plumbers came out and quickly issolated it to the pump, and had all the equipment to raise the pipe and pump. The weight of the water within the pipe can really add up. I think anything over 100' deep requires this tool.

Your problem can range from AC turned off, no-prime, water logged tank, bad or stuck pressure switch, valve shutoff, to motor or pump siezed. Unless something needs replacing, it should be around a 1hr charge. Depends on how they bill travel to a site. They should at least have a very good idea of the problem and the cost to fix, in that time frame.

From your description, it is best to let a pro look at it, plumber or driller, but stay with them and have them explain the major components. Watch and learn, and maybe save from having to call them, down the road.

JohnS

r0GuE · Jul 30, 2001

So far I've talked to a driller who, after my description, said that my pump is not in the well, it is an obsolete surface pump with a big weel and a belt. I think it said a 6" stroke. It is tall (4') with a big motor on top. There is a big water tank 6' high and all the electrical boxes in the well wouse (kind of like a bomb shelter) are corroded to heck. Even the concrete of the well house is falling apart. I also found a HUGE spider 3" diameter and furry, we don't get spiders like that in this area, very rare.
Anyways, the well guy said I have to replace everything because no parts are available for old pumps like that. He was talking thousands. I decided to rent a jack hammer and shred the well house in to the hole. I will then use my new FEL (comes tommarow) to fill the hole with dirt.

Rogue

GlueGuy · Jul 30, 2001

3" diameter furry spider? Sounds like a tarantula. We have those here. Mostly harmless.

The GlueGuy

StoneHeartFarm · Jul 31, 2001

rogue,

The pump may be bad, but the well may still flow and it may be possible to use it for lawn watering, etc. Do you have a pipe coming up from the ground? A low cost solution would be to remove the old pump and attach a small hand pump to the well pipe. At least you would know if the well will still flow, and the cost would probably be under $100.00.

SHF

r0GuE · Jul 31, 2001

I've been to the edge!!!!!
I descended in to the dark icky spider ladened well house (ewww!) And!, this is what I've seen:
The pump is a big heavy chunk of cast iron or steel (might make a nice FEL counter weight!). It is green and the plate on the side says "Myers self oiling working head 6 inch stroke" it is belt driven by a big 1HP GE electric motor mounted on top. It pumps water in to a ~100-150 gallon tank.
What do you think? Some guys at work thought a farmer might want to use the pump since it is belt driven and can be adapted to different items. Maybe a 540 PTO?

Rogue

StoneHeartFarm · Aug 1, 2001

Rogue,

I would definitely try to salvage the pump. You could always shove it on EBAY to see if you could get a couple of bucks.

Don't worry about the spiders. They don't eat much.

SHF

r0GuE · Aug 1, 2001

Yeah, Ebay...
For Sale: Qty. (1) Myers self oiling working head 6 inch stroke
Price: $5
Shipping $ 200.00
;^)

Rogue

StoneHeartFarm · Aug 1, 2001

Rogue,

You might be surprised. People collect some pretty odd things. Somebody who deals at antique swap meets may have a market for such an item. They're getting pretty rare around here, most of them were pulled and dumped years ago.

SHF

r0GuE · Aug 2, 2001

The well guy called me back and said that it would be thousands to get the well fixed up with a new pump etc. I will abandon the well. As for the pump, he said the only people he knows that still use them are the Amish!!
I do live in PA so maybe I can trade it for a table or chair? ;^)

Rogue

StoneHeartFarm · Aug 2, 2001

Rogue,

No idea on how deep the well is? Thousands seems a little high. But, even if it were only a few hundred, you would have to balance the cost against the use you would get.

Is the pump real cool looking? You could always paint it and stick it in the front yard with flowers planted around it. Odd little decorations like that are popular around here. Just tell everybody you're from Mi. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

SHF

beenthere · Aug 17, 2001

Just read the thread that you started with your pump question. What you describe is a jack pump (at least that is what we called ours at home which sounds the same, complete with the bomb shelter). What I would like to point out though, is the procedure for abandoning your well, if you are choosing to do that. In your State, there may be a procedure to do this, which protects the ground water from surface contamination. In my State, a well is abandoned if not used for two years. It is filled with clay or clay/cement mixture, then capped and sealed with concrete. Its your ground water, so do as you feel is right if abandoning. Just know that surface water could contaminate your good water. My folks had a jack pump on a 500' well, and it required a 5HP motor to lift the water up that high. A rod goes down into the water in the well, where there is a head that has the plunger and valves. The rod lifts 6" and then drops for another 6" lift. It is similar to the old hand pumps in the way it works. To work there may have to be new leathers put on at the bottom end.

Boondox · Aug 17, 2001

Rogue -- Not sure from your description if you're talking about a springhouse (is there a water-filled container inside that well house?) or a well head (metal-encased electric motor on top of a metal shaft going straight down into the ground with no water visible). Both are typical setups around here. If a springhouse, the motor will be a shallow-water jet pump with an intake line extending from the pointy end of the pump into the water, and an output line from the center of the pump to a pressure tank. Assuming it hasn't been used in some time, it'll have to be primed. If you have a deep well the pump will be way the heck down the shaft, but the power line will connect at the wellhead. Both systems rely on pressure tanks to extend motor life, i.e., reduce the number of pump cycles. The pressure tank is usually about three feet tall with an air bladder inside. The pump sends water into the tank, the air bladder is compressed, and the pump shuts off. When you open a tap the water comes out of the tank, relieving air pressure till it reaches whatever the pump is set at. Is your "electrical box" about 3"x4"x3" deep with a little metal lever coming off the back...or is it a regular breaker box? If it's the small box with the lever, it's an overload breaker to save your pump from lightning or power surges. If you have a voltmeter and feel comfy checking, are your wires hot? Most likely they'll be 240VAC, but confirm at the breaker box.

On the other hand, I hate checking power lines in the country since they're so often chewed upon by rodents, etc. Best to have a pro check it out. I'll try to post photos of both shallow and deep well setups this weekend if there's any interest.

Pete with the half empty springhouse and the well shaft drilled halfway to China

www.GatewayToVermont.com

beenthere · Aug 17, 2001

Boondox
FYI
Check the messages from Rogue on 7/30 at 5:31 pm and 7/31 at 9:11 pm for clarity on what type of well he has in the pit. Seems to me it is a jack pump that has a 6" stroke. His description does not fit with what you think he has.